Apprenticeships aren’t just aimed at school and college leavers. We utilise the apprenticeship scheme to inspire, motivate and allow our employees to upskill. This was the case with our Bid and Proposals Coordinator, Lynne, who undertook an apprenticeship to develop her role at Baywater Healthcare.
Tell us about your apprenticeship
The apprenticeship that I undertook was ‘Bid and Proposal Coordinator.’
The role of the Bid and Proposal Coordinator is to support new business through the full bid proposal process –The role involves providing support to all affiliated functions to assist in the quality and timely completion of proposal submissions – including organising meetings, structuring and writing proposal content, co-ordinating relevant activities, and document management.
What made you want to undertake this apprenticeship?
I took a secondment to cover the sales co-ordination role at Baywater. This involved various tasks, one of which was supporting the bid process, which I didn’t know much about at the time. I quickly realised you needed to be really organised as you had a time frame to work to, which was something I enjoyed. I started working more closely with our Bid Manager on the bids, and we worked well together. My role then developed into helping to support the new bids and tenders, so I wanted to learn more about the bidding process to support the Bid Manager as best as possible.
What key skills have you learn during your apprenticeship?
I learnt a lot during my apprenticeship. Not only about the bid process, but about myself. Remaining calm under pressure is a large part of this job, and if you are calm and in control, it is infectious on the rest of the bid team. Preparation and organisation are vital to getting a bid completed and submitted on time. Learning about the bid process from start to finish has helped me to gain a much better understanding of the whole process. It has enabled me to work in the business development team and improved my confidence within that team. I have learned a lot about myself, my skills, and where I can improve.
How has the apprenticeship enhanced your role at Baywater Healthcare?
I feel much more confident now in my role. My understanding of the broader business strategy helps me to focus on which opportunities to look out for. I am much better at taking on tasks myself which I didn’t have the confidence to do before my apprenticeship. It has resulted in a role change from sales coordinator to Bid and Proposal coordinator, which reflects my role better now.
What are your plans for the future, having completed your apprenticeship?
It isn’t easy to continue challenging yourself when it’s busy, but I am keen to learn new skills. I now have a development plan with my manager, which helps keep me focused, take on new tasks, and further increase my understanding of bid management.
